Just Once
by Alina-Cantha
Summary: The legendary sucker loses another bet, but what are the consequences this time around? Perhaps they'll be a little different from what she expected... Chapter Four up! TsunadexJiraiya
1. Prologue: Legendary Sucker

_A bit of an offshoot here. I don't often do romance stuff, but...I couldn't resist. I L-O-V-E this pairing, although I don't know why. Piff, maybe it's because I'm insane. Any case, bon voyage! _

**DISCLAIMER: Hinata, and all the other Naruto characters, as well as the whole Naruto-verse belong to Masashi Kishimoto...not me.**

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**Prologue**

"Read 'em and weep," Jiraiya announced, spreading his cards flat on the table. "Two pair."

"Dammit!" Tsunade threw her own hand down. "Pair of twos!"

Naruto grinned at both of them, eyes closed in pleasure. "Full house," he informed them.

Rolling her eyes, the kunoichi of the trio threw her hands up the air in disgust and leaned back in her chair. "You have the devil's luck, kid," she snarled.

"He is the kyuubi," Jiraiya sighed. Still smiling broadly, Naruto collected his winnings, having to push the coins into his pockets, as no more would fit in his frog wallet.

"Fine then. Let's go one on one, you and me," Tsunade challenged Jiraiya. "Paper, rock, scissors, winner gets choice."

"Choice?" Jiraiya asked disdainfully. "Of what?"

"Don't knock it," Tsunade told him firmly. "I'm out of cash."

"Okay, but you _know _you're going to lose," he replied with a lecherous smile, leaning over the table, fist out in front of him.

Seriously, Tsunade mirrored his position. "Two out of three," she instructed. Simultaniously, both slammed their fists into their palms.

"Rock!" Jiraiya announced happily.

"Scissors. Damn," Tsunade groaned.

"Round two!" Naruto interjected, raising his arms over his head and cheering on the pair's rivalry. Tsunade turned and glared at him before turning back to her former teammate.

They repeated the match a second time. Triumphantly, Tsunade raised her hand over her head. "Scissors! I beat you!" she snapped. "This is it now," she hissed, slamming her fist into the table, making the various empty glasses and mugs of a night spent at a tavern jump.

Jiraiya raised a single eyebrow. "All right then," he muttered. One final time, they slapped their hands together. Once more, Tsunade cussed and slammed herself back in her chair. Jiraya reclined with a grin. "Told you," he smirked. "It'd be a little harder if you didn't always choose scissors, but whatever works." The old pervert crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thinking of what he would request as his prize.

Across from him, Tsunade pouted, crossing her own arms and glaring at the table. "Fine," she finally growled. "Your choice, as long as it doesn't involve me getting naked."

"Aw, hell. That was my first choice," he replied with a scowl. After another few moments of thinking, he looked up at her with a nasty smirk. "Remember what you said to me all those years ago?" When she shook her head in confusion, he continued in a crude falsetto, "I decline."

"Oh, don't tell me," she groaned, burying her face in one manicured hand in dismay.

"You owe me..." He paused dramatically, smile spreading even further across his face.

"A date," Tsunade finished with a deep sigh.

"You got it, babe."

_This was a prologue because it's so short. Much shorter than my norm. It's short because I liked the way it ended. Leave me alone, so there! Lemme know if you like, lemme know if you don't. I need feedback!_


	2. Just Friends

**Just Once**

_**Chapter One: Just Friends**_

**Another chapter churned out! I got a pretty good response from this, so here goes nothing. A little shorter than usual, just so you poor people don't have to slog through the usual 8 pages. Enjoy.**

**Note: I want to thank all the people who have me on their author-alert list! After I posted the prologue to this, my numbers shot up. It made me so happy; I was dancing around...and still am now. Thanks, ya'll!**

**DISCLAIMER: Tsunade, and all the other Naruto characters, as well as the whole Naruto-verse belong to Masashi Kishimoto...not me.**

Tsunade woke gradually, with a pounding headache. Too much liquor. _Way _too much. Rolling over with a sleepy grunt, she turned a little chakra toward the pain in her head. It dulled the ache a little, just enough for her to function. To date, no ninja, medical or otherwise, had ever discovered a cure for hangovers. Tsunade had always thought that was planned to keep ninjas from drinking too much. So much for that.

Her feet hit the floor gently, but she winced as the quiet thump reverberated through her head. The Hokage glanced over at her alarm clock; the bright red numerals hurt her eyes and burned their way into her mind. "Dammit!" she shouted, ignoring the pain in her head as she leapt out of bed with a speed only seen in those unfortunate souls who are an hour late for an important meeting that they are supposed to be in charge of. Just then, she heard one of her assistants pounding on the door, calling her name. How could she be so stupid? She knew she had a meeting this morning, and what did she do? Overslept, woke up an hour later, and then finally showed up with a hangover.

Dressing faster than she probably ever had in the past, she slammed her way out of her bedroom, and stopped cold, staring at a handwritten note taped on the front door, eye-level.

_Good morning, sunshine! Nice to see you're awake. Don't forget the meeting this morning._

_P.S – See you tonight, 8 o'clock._

It was signed with a small drawing of a frog, smiling innocently up at her from the paper. "You're no help," she spat at the creature, ripping the note off the door and jamming it in her pocket. She whipped the door open, surprising her newest assistant, catching him with his hand halfway to the door again.

"Hokage-sama?!" he gasped, but she was gone, bolting for her offices across the village at top speed.

* * *

Everybody in the large conference room looked up as the Hokage banged the door open and hurried in, arms full of papers and a few droplets of sweat running down her face. "Sorry I'm late," she panted, hurrying to her spot at the head of the table. Jiraiya, sitting at the other end, began to laugh quietly. It turned into a loud coughing fit when he caught her glare. A little winded from her high-speed dash across the village, Tsunade was beginning to think it'd be a lot better if she just fell asleep on her desk every night. Then she wouldn't have to run back and forth all the time. At the very least, she could get a place a little closer.

She sighed and slapped her papers down on the table, taking a seat in her chair, barely maintaining the last pieces of her shattered dignity. "So," she began, idly shuffling papers as she gathered her thoughts. "How far have we gotten?"

"You're late," one of the elderly advisors growled, a particularly bad-tempered spinster.

"Yes," Tsunade replied, raising her eyebrows, daring the old broad to say more. She laughed a little as she realized that the 'old broad' she challenged was probably only a few years older than her.

"Actually, Hokage-sama, we were almost finished," Jiraiya called from the other end of the table. He folded his hands on top of the table, looking totally business-like. "You're more than a little late." He gave her a very large, very cheeky, very obvious wink.

She closed her eyes for a moment to regain her temper. When she opened them again, everyone was staring at her, including Jiraiya, who waggled his eyebrows a few times for good measure. "Does anyone want to update me?" she asked, her eyes concentrating on each person around the table in turn, skipping Jiraiya. For a man who was fifty years old, he could be amazingly immature when he put his mind to it.

Ignoring him, she turned her gaze to an older man who quietly explained the situation at hand. With a sigh, she settled into her chair, knowing she was going to spend the rest of the day in her offices.

* * *

Gradually, the sun sank, dyeing the ground a brilliant orange. Tsunade looked up as the light came in her window, suddenly brighter than it was before. It was getting late. Then she remembered the note in her pocket. "Crud," she muttered, pulling the crumpled paper out and trying to smooth it enough to read it again. "8 o'clock, he said..." She checked her watch. 7 o'clock. Hurriedly, she grabbed another note and scrawled a quick note on it, explaining that she wouldn't be able to make it. She had way too much work to do.

Her stomach growled a protest once more, but she ignored. Too much work to do to even eat. Before she even thought about it, she had grabbed the official seal and stamp and patted it on the note. Maybe all this stuff was going to her head. In any case, it would confuse Jiraiya. With a sharp, ear-piercing whistle, she summoned another one of her many assistants and handed him the note. "Get this to Jiraiya-sama," she commanded, already back at her papers and notes. The aide bowed and hurried out of the room.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion outside her office. Shouting, banging, and the sound of a chair toppling over was loud. Wondering what was going on, Tsunade got up and went to the door, cautiously peeking her head out. Her head assistants both stood there, looking awfully peeved, and Jiraiya stood in the middle, smiling broadly. "These guys sure are picky," he finally said. "Won't even let a poor old man in to see one of his old friends."

"Come on in," Tsunade sighed. The aides finally backed down, one of them picking up the pieces of the broken chair. The Hokage didn't know how it had been broken, and had a feeling that she didn't really want to know.

Sitting back down in her chair, she gazed up at Jiraiya. "What are you here for?" she asked him tonelessly, raising one eyebrow. "It's not like you to come to a place where people actually do _work_."

"Well, you said you wouldn't be able to make our date..." he began a little sheepishly."And you _promised_."

"I didn't promise," she snapped, cutting him off. "I lost."

"Same thing. You still owe me."

A heavenly odor was seeping through Tsunade's office. She sniffed a few times, and then stared at the man before her. "You brought food," she hissed, stomach growling once more, as it complained as well.

"Of course I did," he replied. "But you can't have any, because I don't share except with my dates." Jiraiya impudently reached inside the bag of fast food he'd brought and tossed a french fry in his mouth, chewing with gusto.

"You are the nastiest person ever," she answered him. Rounding the desk, she reached in the bag and unearthed a cheeseburger. "Fine ninja cuisine," she commented, sitting down across from him in the other office chair. "It's a date," she finished, taking a huge bite out of the burger.

He smiled at her and continued eating. "I sure do know the way to a lady's heart, huh?"

"More like her stomach. Give me some fries. And don't talk with your mouth full."

* * *

Tsunade was stuffed. After three cheeseburgers and an order of fries, she'd called it quits, and now sat slumped in her chair. "Ugh," she groaned. "You're trying to make me fat."

"If you were _ever _going to be fat, you'd already be there by now," he countered, finishing the last of his own food.

"Nice to know my hard work is paying off."

"Yeah, that and a lot of medical effort."

"Hey, I wouldn't be talking, pudge boy." She emphatically waved a french fry at him, before dropping it into her mouth with a snap of her teeth.

"That's _muscle_," he replied defensively, crossing his arms.

With a smirk, she replied sweetly, "Muscle made out of fat."

Jiraiya slid down in his chair and sulked. "I should have learned by now that it's not worth it to be nice to you," he muttered. "You just insult me and tease me and..." He flung his head back, clasping one hand dramatically to his forehead.

"Uh huh," she replied, not really listening anymore. She was caught up in her work, going over a map in an attempt to figure out the best route for a mission on the other side of Sound Village. She was concerned by the placement, as the destination almost required cutting straight through Sound Country. Thinking of something else for the same mission, she pulled her pencil from behind her ear and jotting something down on a nearby notepad. The only way around the village though was through a forest nearby, and it was known for being incredibly difficult to pass. The other option wasn't palatable either, considering the current relations between their villages. She growled under her breath, frustrated.

Jiraiya stood, gathering his things and throwing the remains of their meal in the trash. He leaned over the map as well, studied it for a moment, and then jabbed his finger down. "There's a trade route through here," he told her, dragging his finger across the map. "Goes right around, right through the woods. It's a little grown-over, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's still a path."

"How do you know that?" she asked, wondering why _she _hadn't known.

"I have my ways," he answered, with another eyebrow waggle.

She raised one of her own delicately sculpted eyebrows. "Get out. Now," she commanded, pointing towards the door.

"Is that any way to treat your own _teammate_?" he asked pathetically, putting on a very visible pout. She didn't reply, busy marking the route Jiraiya had shown her in bright blue marker on the map.

"Fine, be that way," he pronounced, putting his hands on his hips. "But you owe me again."

This got her attention. "Owe you _what_?" she snarled, looking up at him with angry brown eyes.

"Another date," he answered. "I promise, I'll take you somewhere nice." With one final wink, he turned and left, shutting the door behind him. Tsunade was left behind, still stammering her disagreement.

**If you liked it, review it. If you didn't, review it. Tell me why! Kthx, bye.**


	3. Just A Dance

**Just Once**

**_Chapter Two: Just A Dance _**

**DISCLAIMER: Tsunade, and all the other Naruto characters, as well as the whole Naruto-verse belong to Masashi Kishimoto…not me. **

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Jiraiya asked his reflection. In response, his mirrored self gave him a disgusted look. "Because you want to get laid, that's why," he told himself. "She's your friend and teammate," he stated firmly, straightening his tie. "She doesn't like you that way, it's a joke, and this will be a simple get-together to catch up on things." He stared at his figure in the mirror, all wrapped up in a fancy suit and tie. He couldn't breathe already. His tie was too tight; his collar was squeezing his neck… "Just remember, you started all this," he reminded himself. Turning and straightening his shoulders, he headed out the door.

He'd left a note for her earlier again, telling her when he'd pick her up. With no reply, he'd assumed it was a yes. Or he hoped so. His reputation had secured him reservations at the fanciest restaurant in town, situated directly beneath the Hokage monument. He'd figured she could appreciate how close it was to her office. Hopefully, she'd actually meet him there. After the last time he'd tried to meet with her, he wasn't so sure. There wasn't much he could do about it though, except hope.

* * *

Shizune poked her head into Tsunade's office. "Tsunade?" she asked timidly. There was no reply from the empty room. The woman frowned. Her friend had been doing this a lot lately. Incredibly stressed, Tsunade took breaks to be alone, and she never told anyone where she went. Shizune knew the Hokage was supposed to be going out to eat with Jiraiya in a little bit. She shrugged. Tsunade had an independent spirit. She just needed time to be alone.

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Tsunade asked the Hokages below her. The monument could give her no reply. She knew the purpose of her job, knew _why _she was doing it, but it was so hard sometimes. Absently, she rubbed her temples. The lists of the deceased kept growing longer, and it seemed as if nothing she did could stop it. Allies seemed to be running low, and the Academy didn't seem to be able to turn out shinobi fast enough. The Hokage before her all had the same goal, and she shared it as well, but she was so frustrated she could just cry. So many years ago, life had been going her way. Then Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and she had become the legendary three. Everything simply fell to pieces, one death after another. The times had gotten so dark that she had run away, separating herself from her beloved village.

And now she'd come back and taken on more responsibility than she ever thought she'd have. So much had changed, and she just didn't want it to. It should have stayed the way it was, before everything fell like dominos.

She tugged at her dress, adjusting the skirt. After she actually got ready for her "appointment" with Jiraiya, another casualty list came in, and she knew she had to be alone. So here she was, sitting on top of the Hokage monument in a dress that was slit up to mid-thigh. It was cold up here too, not that the dress helped any.

"Your face will be up here one day," Jiraiya called to her, finishing the climb with a sigh. The pair stood in a large alcove above the Third, the whole village spread below them. A small staircase carved in the stone took a roundabout way back down to the Village's main offices. The overlook was known as the Hokage's Lookout, and was rarely used due to the cool temperatures and the few people who knew about it.

She turned on the wooden bench to look at him with a wry grin. "It could have been yours."

He walked across to sit next to her, hands clasped in front of him. "I never wanted all that stress," he mumbled, looking at the darkening town below. After a second, he glanced at Tsunade out of the corner of his eye. "In a way, you're much braver than I am…"

She laughed lightly. "Mr. High and Mighty's coming down off his pedestal, is he?"

Jiraiya flushed lightly. "Shut up," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Ah, it was just a joke," she replied. "I just remember when we were both young, and you would make fun of me. And then I'd make fun of you, because Sarutobi-sensei made fun of you." She smiled at the old memories, and then her eyes looked downward, concentrating on the stone beneath her.

Things _had _been different then. As a girl, she'd had the biggest crush on Orochimaru. He'd been so handsome to her, and unfortunately, to all the other girls, but when she got put in his team, she became the envy of all the others. Until things had gone wrong.

Then the pity had begun. After Orochimaru had become a missing-nin, she and Jiraiya had been lost for a while. Gradually, they'd gotten over it and begun to train themselves in earnest. Orochimaru was probably the main reason why they were now known as legends. Needless to say, she saw nothing redeeming in her former teammate any more.

"I always hated it when Sarutobi-sensei lectured us. I'm sure you noticed," Jiraiya laughed a little, remembering his younger self.

"Of course I noticed. I didn't yell at you enough?" She stuck her tongue out at him, smiling.

"Yeah, you did," Jiraiya answered with a sigh. In an abrupt change of mood, he looked away from her, out to the village. There was a moment of awkward silence, and Tsunade wondered if maybe she had gone too far. She thought she knew Jiraiya's limits though, and she didn't think she'd been anywhere near them.

"I…didn't mean to bring up old-," she began to apologize. He cut her off with the wave of a hand.

"It's nothing. Its just…things aren't simple anymore, like they were then." His hands tightened, and his knuckles whitened. "We made fun of each other, could goof off, could screw around."

"The responsibility is a lot," Tsunade commented quietly. "When I was little, I wanted to just be a regular ninja, with regular skills, and marry a regular guy."

"You liar," Jiraiya grinned as she looked over at him, raising one eyebrow. "I overheard you once talking about how you wanted to marry Orochimaru."

Her brown eyes widened, and she smacked him in the arm. "You _spied _on me?"

"I just couldn't help it," he whined innocently.

"And that was before Dan anyways," she continued, looking away. "I just want life to be simple, like it was before," she finished, voice breaking slightly.

"That is the problem with being legendary," Jiraiya said quietly, looking at her in concern.

"I wish we weren't."

"You're right. None of this ever would have happened. Orochimaru might still be here, and things-"

"Wouldn't have fallen apart," she finished for him.

"Things should have stayed the way they were."

Tsunade smiled slightly, and rested her head against his shoulder. "I wish we could go back."

"So do I." Tentatively, he moved his hand towards hers. They touched, and then their hands clasped. They sat there silently, both wondering about how things were and about how they could have been.

In the quiet, Tsunade's thoughts followed a trail they'd touched very seldom in the past. Every day when they were genin, and even chuunin, Jiraiya had asked her out, and every day, she'd shot him down. That really should have told her something about him, and about his dedication. Stubbornly, she'd refused him, but he, just as stubborn as she was, kept asking.

Looking back, she realized what a large part he'd played in her life. After getting put together on that genin team so long ago, they'd practically been inseparable. When she'd gone away from Konoha, he was the one who brought her back. He was the one that stood beside her against Orochimaru. He'd always been there, especially when she needed him the most.

She knew he loved her, but did she love him? There were different types of love, like as a friend or as a teammate. And then there was romantic love. She knew she loved him as a teammate, but what about as an actual lover?

Jiraiya was surprised when Tsunade grabbed his hand. She'd slept on his shoulder many a time, but the pair had never sat together like this. Inwardly, he smiled at the image they must make, sitting up here in formal wear.

Was she changing, or was it he? All these years, he said he loved her. In the beginning, it had just been puppy love, in that annoying boyish way. His resolve had begun to waver at her steadfast refusal.

When she left Konoha, he'd given it up. All he really could do was pray that she wouldn't become a missing-nin. Then he'd been given his chance to get her back, and he'd grabbed it. It had been a less than wonderful reunion, especially after she'd drugged him.

Now she was back home, where she belonged, and had taken her spot as Hokage. He was glad for her, but that small part of him still wanted to ask her out. It didn't matter that they were older now. And his chance had come in the form of a game of rock-paper-scissors. Fate seemed to be with him.

As they'd grown up, they'd changed, of course. Orochimaru had gotten taller, lankier, and creepier. Jiraiya hadn't changed as much physically, but he'd developed an almost un-natural taste for shapely, beautiful women. Ironically, Tsunade, who he distinctly remembered called a 'flat-chested bitch', had matured into exactly the type of woman Jiraiya loved, both physically and mentally.

He had always thought that his crush on her would disappear, but it never had. They were both fifty now, but he still loved her, still wanted her beside him. Now they were back, side-by-side, teammates. But he just wanted more.

Below them, flowing music started up, classical dance music played by a string quartet. More than likely from the restaurant where they were supposed to be eating. The moment gently ended, Jiraiya stood and offered his hand to his companion. "Care to dance?" he asked, deepening his voice for her benefit.

She grinned up at him and stood, gently resting her palm against his. Before they could move though, Tsunade crouched down, wrestling off her strappy high heels. "I can fight in them, but I sure as hell can't dance in them," she explained, shoving them underneath the bench. Standing again, she finally moved out, stepping back and forth in time to the music, hands clasped together with Jiraiya's. He paid special attention to keeping his feet away from her toes. As they continued, both loosened up, until they were soaring around their private little alcove.

It gave Tsunade a sense of freedom she didn't feel often now in this life of leadership and rules. Everything she said, it seemed someone had an issue with it. Everything she did, someone didn't want her to. Here, it was just she and Jiraiya and simple movement. Her blue dress flowed behind her, to Jiraiya's delight revealing tantalizing glimpses of her legs.

The two of them, legends, made quite a sight, dancing together to music they could barely hear. As the song slowed and came to an end, Jiraiya twirled Tsunade lazily and drew her into him. Standing behind her, he leaned down to her ear and said quietly, "If you ever need any help, I'm here for you." He meant it, truly. Any problem she had, even if she was the Hokage, he'd be ready to lend a hand.

Playfully, she shoved his face away with a palm. "You just want to look down my dress," she replied, looking at him accusingly.

"An added benefit," he retorted facetiously.

Tsunade smiled and shook her head. Looking up at the night sky, she frowned. It was getting late. "I have to get up early again. I should go."

Collecting her shoes, Jiraiya held them in one hand and offered her his other arm. "Let's get you home then, Madam," he answered.

Humoring him, she accepted his arm, and side-by-side, they took the stairs down to the village below. They walked through the streets, a small spot of silence in the noisy nightlife. Luckily, no one saw them, and they didn't have to stop so someone could speak to the Hokage. When they reached her house, Jiraiya reluctantly let go of her arm and handed her her shoes. The cold where her arm had been felt depressing; he didn't want her to let go.

"Good night," he said quietly, stepping back from her door so she could get in.

"Good night," she answered. Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. Smiling, she then quickly withdrew into her house, leaving him standing there.

In the orange light from the street lamps, he grinned. Turning, he waved in her direction, and then headed for home. He just couldn't stop smiling.


	4. Just Life

**Just Once**

_**Chapter Three: Just Life**_

**DISCLAIMER: Tsunade, and all the other Naruto characters, as well as the whole Naruto-verse belong to Masashi Kishimoto...not me.**

* * *

When the alarm went off the next morning, Tsunade grumbled and burrowed deeper down in her bed, pulling her pillow over her head. After a few more moments of beeping, she lost her patience. Picking up one of her shoes from the floor by her bed, she pitched it across the room. There was a clatter, and then the sound of plastic smashing against the wood floor.

"Good, dammit," she growled, rolling over. However, she found herself unable to get back to sleep. The alarm had shattered her warm, comfortable nap, and there was no getting it back. Swearing under her breath, she pulled herself out of bed, shivering as she emerged from her warm blankets and her skin hit the cool air. Blinking brown eyes open, she stared across the room at the alarm clock. Her shoe was embedded in the front of it, shattering the display. She sighed – another thing to put on her to-do list.

And the shoe she'd thrown had been the one she'd worn last night, and now she couldn't help thinking about it. It was completely silly – why the hell was she thinking about that? It was too early to be thinking about anything. But…the outing hadn't been as pointless as she'd expected. He'd been trying to get her to agree to a date for years. She was just surprised she'd never lost a bet like that before.

Now that she'd actually talked with him for a while, she felt like spending more time with him. Probably not _precisely_ a date, but close enough for his purposes. Plus, she might be able to weasel some more free food out of him. Dan had been like that. A gentleman. She laughed a little. She never thought she'd even think of the words 'gentleman,' and 'Jiraiya' in the same sentence. The laughter quickly died.

Why was she getting into this again? Things always just went wrong. Usually horribly wrong. They'd been teammates for years; she had no problem with his skill level. He could certainly hold his own in a fight. His bravado was at least slightly evidence of that. But still, she couldn't shake the notion that now that their relationship might be moving up, something horrible would happen.

Who was she kidding? He was a sannin; he could hold his own against Orochimaru, for heaven's sake. He _would _have been Hokage, if he hadn't refused the position. She had no right to worry. She kept telling herself that as she dressed and headed out the door.

* * *

Jiraiya was waiting for her inside her offices. When he saw her, he stood and sketched a courtly, over-dramatic bow. "My lady," he murmured as he stood, smiling broadly.

"Suck up," she replied as she took the mug of hot coffee he held out towards her. She took a quick sip and continued, "I know you just like the pretty ladies."

"Pretty! Ha!" he laughed defiantly, crossing his arms.

"Oh, really?" she asked archly, crossing her own arms while carefully balancing her coffee, knowledgably accenting her own bosom.

"Really. Any _good _shinobi could _easily _stand up to the wiles of _any _woman!"

"Then why do so many of them buy your dirty books?" she asked under her breath as she sat down behind her desk.

"It's what gives them the mental willpower to resist, knowing that their paper ladies will always be there to welcome them hope with open arms…or pages," he declared.

"You sound like Gai," she deadpanned. "If you start wearing green and a bowl-cut, I might have to hurt you."

* * *

Only a few minutes later, the discussion had become decidedly more heated.

"Please. Just stay close to home. It's safer," she murmured, flicking through her papers and not meeting his eyes. How the hell had they even got _on_ this topic?

"Since when has _this _ever been _safe_?" he questioned, waving one arm expansively, indicating all of Konoha, and their lives.

"Home is safer than away."

"Since when have you taken such an interest in my personal safety?"

She just stared at him. She didn't know. It couldn't have been last night. It was just a little kiss, not even that. Just on the cheek, a simple gesture, a thank you, even. How could it have affected her so much? "Since you've become one of my confidants and because you're one of my best friends," she answered tentatively.

"Best friends?" he asked. She could almost see him pouting already.

"Yeah. Best _friends_."

He tried to meet her eyes, but she turned away slightly, shuffling a pile of papers. Instead, he placed one large, weathered hand on her desk. Her attention was drawn by his movement, and her brown eyes locked onto his fingers. Scars crisscrossed the back of his hand, light bands against slightly darker skin. "_Why _are we just friends?" he asked softly.

She stared at him in disbelief for a second before her hand went to her temple in frustration and she snapped, "Look, I don't want to deal with this right now. I have work to do."

He stood, obviously preparing to leave. "You have other things to do. I'm sorry," he muttered. "But no matter what you say to me, I'm going on my missions, because I'm doing my duty to Konoha now, just like you. And no matter what you say to me, I love you." Shoulders slightly slumped, he turned and headed for the door, not looking back at her.

"One 'date' doesn't give you the righ-!" she began angrily, standing up at her desk.

"I've loved you for longer than you know," he interrupted, finally turning back and meeting her gaze. He smiled softly, and his eyes crinkled at the edges. Then, quietly, he turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him. The sound of something heavy hitting the thick door – hard – ushered him on his way.

* * *

Tsunade sat down again and leaned over in her chair, resting her forehead on the edge of her desk. Shoulders rising and falling in a deep sigh, she collected herself and sat up again, placing both palms squarely on the stacks of papers littering her desk. She could handle this.

Swiftly, she sorted papers into piles by order of priority, making three categories. Stack by stack, her desk became more organized. The activity kept her distracted from her thoughts of her personal life. She was Hokage. She had responsibility. She had things to do. She had no time for love, and men, and stupid things like that.

A gentle, but firm, knock came at her door. Shizune poked her head in, having wisely waited a few minutes to come in. "Tsunade-sama? Are you okay?" she asked, brow drawing in with worry.

"I'm fine," Tsunade assured her, setting down a stack of shipping manifests. "I'm just a little…"

"Confused?" Shizune offered up helpfully, turning around as she closed the door behind her to remove the paperweight from where it was embedded in the wood. After a moment, she braced a foot against the door and yanked, freeing it.

Tsunade shrugged in agreement.

"Jiraiya was a little angry when he left," Shizune commented, knowing that it more than likely had something to do with the pair's date last night. She came forward to sit down in the chair across from Tsunade's desk, setting the paperweight lightly on top of a stack of papers.  
"You know what I'm going to tell you. I don't need help. I can figure this out, it's my own problem."

"But do you know all the things you need to solve it?"

"I'm fifty years old, Shizune. There's almost _nothing _I haven't seen."

"I'm not quite sure if you've _ever _seen anything quite like Jiraiya," Shizune answered with a smile. "And…you don't know everything," she continued timidly. She knew that she had had more experience with men than Tsunade ever had, and for one thing, she was at least younger.

"I've known him for forty years!" Tsunade protested. "He's one of my best friends."

"And yet you went on your first date with him _yesterday_," Shizune said, a slightly teasing lilt in her voice now.

"It _wasn't _a _date_," Tsunade insisted quickly, flushing slightly.

"I see."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Tsunade shifted restlessly in her chair. "Shizune," she finally began. "What do _you _think of Jiraiya?"

"He's an…interesting man," she began slowly. "Energetic and trustworthy, I think. And I have to admit, now that we're all back, he seems to be regaining some dedication to Konoha. He's spent a lot of time training with Naruto-kun."

"I know all that stuff."

"Well, then you probably know more than I do."

"You're not helping," Tsunade said dully.

"I don't know," Shizune mumbled back. "I think…that's it worth going for," she finally said. "If you have a chance, it's worth taking it. Or at least, that's what I've learned from all your gambling." She smiled brightly, giving Tsunade a grin that she hoped was encouraging.

"You know how my gambling always turns out."

"Your luck has to break sometime."

"Thank you for your optimism."

"I'd take that chance, Tsunade." Shizune stood, picking up a stack of papers from Tsunade's desk, and taking it with her as she walked out. "Think about it, please. Even Hokage's need to be happy."

"Thanks," Tsunade sighed, sliding a stack of papers in front of her. Why did it suddenly seem as if there was so much to be done?


End file.
